International Meeting of Alternative Unionism: Many languages, a single fight

The International Meeting of Alternative Unionism, which has among its organizers the CSP-Conlutas of Brazil and the Central Solidaires of France, started with a cheerful fellowship on Friday, March 23, in Saint-Denis, Paris.

Around 200 delegates coming from 32 countries crowded into the Solidaires Union hall, at Boulevard de la Liberation, next to the River Seine, confirming already in its beginning, the success of this alternative unionism meeting which will look, over the next two days, for ways to perform jointly activities with manifestos, campaigns and solidarity actions to confront the economic crisis and the social war that governments and employers want to impose on workers.

The program for the opening of the meeting was a fellowship dinner, where delegates coming from the different countries were able to get to know each other and to communicate in the way they could find easier to overcome the language barrier. Signals were improvised, the assistance of an interpreter was asked or they just shook hands, everything aiming at the bringing together of workers from many different languages​​, but moved by the same desire to transform the reality in which each one lives.

During the fellowship dinner, the host union representative – the Solidaires – welcomed everybody and also gave the first guidelines for delegations regarding the times and venues of meetings for the coming days. These instructions were translated into Spanish, English, Portuguese and German, but the representative of the Solidaires emphasized that the tasty food offered needed no translation to be fully “understood”.

Among the attendees, the expectation is the same, that is, to build up an arrangement body among the different trade union trends and currents gathered there to boost the struggle worldwide.

Nara, a Solidaires’ member and an activist of Education Union expects the “creation of an international force against this insane and wild capitalism, a fighting international force.”

A delegate from the National Union Confederation (KSN) fromcIndonesia expressed himself in the same direction: “more strength among organizations of workers, peasants and social movements”.

Ailson, in turn, director of civil construction union of Belem (Brazil) and member of CSP-Conlutas, said that “for us it is really a great experience to be here, I want to take it to my comrades and show that a fair and egalitarian society of the working class is possible”.

Arturo, a worker who fights against the EREs in UPS-Vallecas and a member of the union Co.Bas (Spain), expects that “there is a clear idea of what the alternative trade unions must do worldwide, to nip in the bud what workers are going through”.

The comrades from Peru, who have come with 3 delegates, were excited about the invitation made by CSP-Conlutas. Tania, a worker of Ripley bank, fired for boosting the formation of an independent union, said “we want to learn more from the comrades in order to lead, in our country, the fight against corruption and bureaucracy that exist in our unions and to develop the international solidarity”.

Nico, of the ‘Network 28 April’ and of the ‘Committee No to Debt’, from Italy, said he expects “a good summary with two or three common goals, starting with a European fight against austerity imposed by the troika”.

Thus, withmany languages, many voices and a single fight it was started the International Meeting of Alternative Unionism. If it depends on the will of the delegates and their fighting spirit we can expect, as of now, for a victorious meeting.

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La Voz De Los Trabajadores/Workers' Voice is a revolutionary socialist organization. We are the sympathizing organization of the International Workers League (LIT-CI) in the United States. We formed in California in 2008 around the struggles of the immigrant working class & the fight for militant, democratic trade unions and other workers’ and people’s organizations that defend the principle of class independence.